What was the name of the first computer system to defeat a reigning world champion in chess?

In defeating Garry Kasparov on May 11,1997, Deep Blue made history as the first computer to beat a reigning world chess champion in a six-game match under standard time controls. Kasparov had won the first game, lost the second, and then drawn the following three. When Deep Blue took the match by winning the final game, Kasparov refused to believe it.

Kasparov argued that the computer must actually have been controlled by a real grand master. He and his supporters believed that Deep Blue’s playing was too human to be that of a machine. Meanwhile, to many of those in the outside world who were convinced by the computer’s performance, it appeared that artificial intelligence had reached a stage where it could outsmart humanity – at least at a game that had long been considered too complex for a machine.

From the moment that Kasparov lost, speculation and conspiracy theories started. IBM’s refusal of Kasparov’s request for a rematch did nothing to quell suspicions. Many claimed that IBM had used human intervention during the match. IBM denied this, stating that they had relied on the computer’s ability to search through huge numbers of possible moves.

Despite the controversy, there is no denying the stunning achievements of the team that created Deep Blue. Its ability to take on the world’s best human chess player was built on some incredible computing power, which launched the IBM supercomputer that has paved the way for the leading-edge technology available today.